The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece with indicator hands integrally formed with figures or the like.
Conventionally, there have been utilized electronic timepieces with indicator hands integrally formed with figures such as characters.
In conventional electronic timepieces with indicator hands, a hand having the function of an indicator hand is structured by a needle-like second hand or a disk-shaped second hand, wherein the second hand serves also as the indicator hand. Also, in a conventional electronic timepiece having an indicator hand to be operated only by manual operation of the user, the indicator hand serves also as a time hand indicative of time or interacts with a time indicating hand.
Consequently, in any of the above electronic timepieces, there was nothing more than one indicator hand serving also for time indication. With one indicator hand, it was impossible to provide a figure such as a character or other fanciful image with a variety of movements and a variety of indications.
Meanwhile, although there has existed electronic timepieces having an indicator hand moving at all times, they have done nothing more than providing a figure or the like on a disk-shaped second hand or needle-like second hand and could not have made a variety of indications, such as providing a variety of movements.
Meanwhile, where the indicator hand serves also as a time hand or interacts with the time hand, the figure or the like to be integrally formed on the indicator hand is restricted in size making it difficult to use an indicator hand capable of a variety of indications.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic timepiece with indicator hands capable of a variety of indications.
The present invention adopts a technical structure as described below in order to achieve the above object.
That is, the present invention is an electronic timepiece with indicator hands, characterized by comprising: a time hand indicative of time, first and second indicator hands separately provided from the time hand, and drive means for reciprocally rotating the first and second hands in opposite directions to each other within a predetermined range. The drive means reciprocally rotates the first and second indicator hands in directions opposite to each other within a predetermined range. This enables a variety of indications by the indicator hands integrally formed with a figure such as a character.
Here, the drive means may reciprocally rotate the first and second hands at a same speed.
Also, the drive means may have a motor rotating forward and reverse alternately and train wheel for conveying rotation of the motor to the first and second indicator hands.
Furthermore, the train wheel may have a first train wheel to convey rotation in a direction reverse to said motor to the first indicator hand and a second train wheel to convey rotation in a direction same as the motor to the second indicator hand.
Still furthermore, the time hand and the indicator hands may be arranged on a same shaft.
Also, the drive means may have a gear and a pinion which constitute 2 stages up and down, may contain a diameter of the pinion is smaller than the gear and the number of tooth of the pinion are the same as that of the gear.
Also, the drive means may have the first hour wheel to rotatively drive the indicator hand, a wheel for reverse rotation and the second hour wheel to rotatively drive the indicator hand. The wheels may transfer a rotation of the motor to the hour wheels by the gears and transfer to the hour wheels through the wheel for reverse rotation by the pinions.
Also, the drive means may have an operation switch, sound output means, rotation means to reciprocally rotate the first and second indicator hands in directions opposite to each other, control means, and storage means storing first drive signal data to control the rotation means such that the first and second indicator hands perform first reciprocal rotational movement in directions opposite to each other, sound data and second drive signal data to control the rotation means such that the first and second indicator hands perform second reciprocal rotational movement in directions opposite to each other, wherein the control means controls the rotation means to cause the first and second indicator hands to perform first reciprocal rotational movement in directions opposite to each other due to the first drive signal data when the operation switch has not been operated, and outputs the music data to the sound output means and controls the rotation means to cause the first and second indicator hands to perform second reciprocal rotational movement in directions opposite to each other due to the second drive signal data when operation of the operation switch has been operated.
The rotation means under control of the control means drives, by the first drive signal data, the first and second indicator hand to perform first reciprocal movement in directions opposite to each other when the operation switch has not been operated. Also, when operation of the operation switch is operated, music data is outputted to the sound output means, and by the second drive signal data the first and second indicator hands are driven to perform second reciprocal rotational movement different from the first reciprocal rotational movement in directions opposite to each other, e.g., random reciprocal rotational movement.
Incidentally, the electronic timepiece may be an electronic wristwatch.